Liberals Expand Sentencing Options
Sunday, March 18, 2012 @ 8:37 AM
Prince George, B.C. – Changes to the Offence Act have been passed into law to give B.C.’s courts more flexibility to manage offenders convicted under provincial statutes and help modernize and reform the province’s justice system.
These changes expand sentencing options by allowing the courts to impose probation orders that are better tailored to reflect the offences and offenders’circumstances. Probation orders may include a wide range of conditions, such as community work service, requirements not to attend a specific address or to stay away from certain locations, or other conditions that a judge finds appropriate.
Flexible sentencing will help manage the behaviour of offenders in communities and enhance the rehabilitative aspects of sentencing.
The changes will come into force in June.
Minister of Justice and Attorney-General Shirley Bond says “This act gives the courts more flexibility to ensure offenders’ sentences best address the nature of the crime they have committed. This is just one of the innovative steps government is taking to make the justice system more effective and responsive for British Columbians.”
Examples of types of offences that will be better addressed through improved enforcement:
· For serious Motor Vehicle Act offences, such as driving without due care, a combination of fine and probation or jail and probation creates a sentence that was not previously available to the court.
· For repeat trespass offences, offenders could be placed on probation, with court-ordered conditions to stay away from a specific area, and community work service could be imposed rather than a fine.
· For street disorder offences, charges could be laid under the Liquor Control and Licensing Act for being drunk in a public place, rather than under the Criminal Code. Offenders could be placed under probation orders with conditions, such as paying for damages, writing an apology letter and performing community work service. If individuals fail to comply, they could be charged with a breach of the probation order.
Comments
More hugs and kisses! Wheres the public stoning and whippings?
Bond is an idiot and useless
Does one still get their due process in the effort to make the justice system ‘more effective and responsive’?
So if one is doing 40 over can they throw you in jail now as well as confiscate your vehicle? How far would the police state be willing to interpret the new powers?
“So if one is doing 40 over can they throw you in jail now as well as confiscate your vehicle?”
Sounds good to me!
“· For serious Motor Vehicle Act offences, such as driving without due care, a combination of fine and probation or jail and probation creates a sentence that was not previously available to the court.”
Bravo! I hope that nail texters with this!
I think the biggest deterant will be having to write a letter of appology. That will sure make them criminals think twice.
All this is very nice and cozy. Now, what is being done to eliminate the courts backlog?
Its nice to have new options but if a perp gets to court just to have it thrown out because of unreasonable waiting time, we all lose.
The Liberals have backlogged the courts so badly people being let off their charges.
BC – Best Place on Earth
Worst Government
Libtards….hehehe and that infamamous picture of Bob’s yer Drunkel,A.K.A Gordo Scambell…and ya jerkoffs put him back in power…bunch of Goofballs and look at what he did to this province!!
Puff,puff,passsss……
Shirley, we will all be saved from ourselves? Good thing we have once again went after the hardened criminal. Thanks my family feels so much safer!!!!
Now the Liberals are planning to put people in the slammer for exceeding 40 k over the speed limit? Isn’t that kind of extreme? Are we starting to grow bananas in BC or are we just going bananas?
If the offender can’t put two sentences (no pun intended) together, will the government send him to Sylvan to learn how? Forget regular school. That speaks for itself now.
Send him to Sylvan? Hmmm … the Liberal-Republican playbook shouldn’t just be left lying out like that …
Privatize education so corporations can run it. That way, big education companies can funnel cash back to political parties to give the rich more tax breaks.
Sounds like the Liberal plan is being leaked a bit early.
Big companies like educational publishers …
Did anyone mention when it is election day?
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